How did you get started, and What is your History?

[Whiskers]

I was going to narrow it down, to only hear from racers or runners. But I want to hear from everybody. (But, Please keep the "retirement plan" comments to a minimum. )

How did I get started?

I was on vacation around '88 or so, and picked up a '57 Chevy R/C car at a store of some sort. It was really cool, and really fast, other than it needed to be fed AA batteries. So I got taken to a real hobby shop to get some re-chargeable batteries, and BINGO, I ended up walking out with a Tamiya Blackfoot. It was cool, but as I've said elsewhere, it was a money pit.

Later I got a Hornet, then a TQ10, then a Pro-Line truck conversion for the TQ. Then when the Losi JRXT came out I got one fresh off the shelf, and thought that was the shiznit until I got my RC10T.

Then While at "Whitt's Hobby Shop" in Aurora, IL around '91 or so, I got turned onto "Midwest Hobby Tracks" in Oswego, IL. Started going there to "practice", and some of the guys said, "Why don't you race?".
To make a long story short, I started out racing Mod Truck with that RC10T and did pretty good. Raced with some good guys and have some good memories.
Picked up a Lazer, Reflex, and that Asso/RPM car along the way. Along with a bunch of other toys. (See "Whiskers Rides" here.)

Then something happened, and I started a family. Just now getting back into the RC thing after 12+ years.

[teshreve]

I was in the Navy in roughly 1988 when a friend came back from Christmas leave with a Frog.
We ran the piss out of it in the hanger bay the of the USS Theodore Roosevelt.
Then I got an apartment, something he didn't have. So I got to "store" it for him. What I really did was play with it every day. In return I hopped it up with nifty MIP parts.
Then I ordered an RC10 Graphite from Tower Hobbies.
I've driven an RC car in like 8 different countries!
When I got out of the Navy, I discovered a local track, raced for 8 years or so, quasi gave up on RC, but didn't sell anything, and then quasi got back into it. Although now I no longer race, but have been considering it.

[Tadracket]

I got my first RC for Christmas around '83. I was 10 and the car was a Tandy Jeep Renegade. I also had an RC boat so the Stomper pulling sled got hacked up to became a trailer for the boat and that is how it all began.

Next car was a Super Lobo a few years later then a used RC10 and an Optima in 89 or so. I bought my first new car in 91 or 92. It was a team graphite that I fitted with a Novak 610 and a Speedworks 427.

I have since gone through T-maxxs, Rustlers, had an old LandJump etc. I just started getting back into the hobby last year for my 3 year old. He loves them. My wife, not so much

I grew up in the souther coal fields of West Virginia so we had no race tracks or LHS. No one had the money to do such luxurious things. So I have no racing experience but plan to start in the near future. There is a track near where I live now, just need to talk the wife out of some money

Thats my story. Cars, planes, boats: I love them all.

[jwrape]

Had tons of Sears R/C's that I now collect, but my first REAL Hobby scale R/C was a RC10 for Xmas in 1986. An original Gold Pan RC10. I still have pices of it. From there is has grown and grown.
Here is the ones I have sold
http://www.clodtalk.com/viewtopic.php?p=170389#170389

[shodog]

when I was 12 I used to work for a guy after school. His main business was shoe repair but he kinda dabbled in about everything from BMX to roller skates to skateboards. He was heavy in model aircraft and would build 1/4 scale airplanes and the such. One day I came by the shop and his son's where running a sand scorcher across the street in the dirt lot. I was mesmerized by those sand paddles throwing twin rooster tales.

Up until that point I had a few toy R/C's. The best one being a shinsei atc 250 three wheeler.



After seeing that scorcher run, it was the object of my desire. I told my parents about it but those things were expensive back then and they were like no way. My hopes were dashed. Then on my 13th birthday my Mom comes to pick me up from school and there in the floor board of the car is a Frog all set up ready to go. Needless to say I was super stoked. Here is my only vintage picture of that Frog.





If you notice it has a rear cage I made out of welding rod in metal shop class.

Some friends and I eventually built a track in my town where we held races. I also raced at other local races but never was really super serious. I continued to buy different cars. A wild one, then a fox and after seeing a RC10 at a race and was so blown away by its performance, got one of those also. Since I repaired the cars for everyone, I was able to score quite a few cast off rides as people upgraded to nicer machines.

After graduation from High School I gave my cars to my older brother which eventually got stolen out of his garage. I did however keep a Hilux chassis and my old Fox. For Christmas in 1994 my wife asked me what I wanted and I said an RC car. I ended up buying an associated 10L. It was fast but I chewed up those foam tires on the street. then in 1996 HPI came out with their RS4 and I got that. 1999 came around and I started to think about fixing up my Fox. That's when I found ebay and it was all over. A big kid with disposable income is dangerous. The fox was eventually sold off once I found enough parts to make a new built fox. I did however make something with the hilux chassis. It became my Juggerlux

[jwrape]

Up until that point I had a few toy R/C's. The best one being a shinsei atc 250 three wheeler.

I had one of these and also a yellow Yamaha. I had to take them back a few times to get a good one. They had jittery problems. The radios weren't that good. But boy were they fun when they worked.

[acerpower1]

it started in about 86 when my parents bought me a nikko.it was about the same as an old tyco turbo hopper.then came a radio shack golden arrow,my 1st 1/10 scale which i later fitted with hobby grade electronics.
then my first one i built was a koyosho big brute,then i inherited my uncles wild willy jeep,then my rc10t which i never ran because of lack of interest(mostly due to girls and beer lol)i never raced,just mostly ran in the street or parks.
recently my interest was re-kindled after buying a few cheep rc toys for my 4 year old son.
it's a good way of amusing my son and driving my girlfriend nuts.

[Synergy]

I started racing in 1978 age 7 with my Tamiya Cheetah which I still own . We raced indoors at a local school along with XR311s and the odd holiday buggy. I was introduced to RC some time before this as a family member owned our LHS. My list of cars in order of purchase up to 2000 goes something like this:-

Cheetah
Hornet
SWB Optima Mid after a short time converted to a
LWB Optima Mid
Thunder Shot
Pro Cat
Lazers ZX 2 of these
Ultima Pro
Astute
Works 91 Super Dog Fighter
CAT 98SE
SST
TC3

All of these cars were raced at various levels and I loved the time I had with everyone of them, I might have got a couple in the wrong order but it's close enough. I've managed to collect all of them again along with a few extras that I could not afford at the time . Here's my showroom.

http://www.tamiyaclub.com/showroom.asp?id=18028

Due to the demise of the hobby in our locality I no longer race , all my cars sit on my shelf apart from a couple of runners/bashers.

[Thunderbruiser]

well i was always into the cars as a young lad and well had all the tyco's and such and my grandma actually gets credit for getting me started...cause she bought me my first true hobby grade rc was a panda which i used to race out in pch area of california...i later moved onto losi xx-cr and rc10t

I guess my love for cars and rc cars in general got me started

[DV8ion]

I got started at about 12yrs old , I got a RS Golden Arrow for Christmas one year and thought it was the best thing ever. Then about 6 months later my best friend got a RC10 CE and I was in awe. I had to have one at that point so I mowed lawns and did whatever I could to earn enough money to buy one, and I ended up saving enough money to buy a Team kit and all the goodies to go with it. I started racing and its all come from there, I've owned more R/C stuff than I can remember, tried every form of R/C I know and then some LOL.

[FlyinGN]

I was at a church barzaar around 83 and saw a new frog in the box unbuilt for $15. Bought it and the rest is history. That turned into the Hot trick frog/rc10 that I still have. Raced it in the local ROAR races in th emid to late 80's..

[FlyinGN]

I was at a church barzaar around 83 and saw a new frog in the box unbuilt for $15. Bought it and the rest is history. That turned into the Hot trick frog/rc10 that I still have. Raced it in the local ROAR races in th emid to late 80's..